A transducer, together with appropriate instrumentation, is used to measure forces in a variety of applications. Consequently, different types of transducers are commercially available. They include elastic devices such as strain gauges, piezoelectric crystals, pressure-responsive devices such as hydraulic or pneumatic load cells, etc. Transducer elements may comprise different shapes, namely beams, circular rings, cylinders, etc. The output signal of a transducer may be an electrical signal or a mechanical indication that correlates to an applied force. Provided that the transducer is calibrated to known forces, the applied force can be determined from the output signal.